Stanningley Bypass, where Joanne Lindsay got one of her speeding tickets.

Published:06:00Tuesday 11 July 2017

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A SPEEDING driver who got two tickets within three weeks and claimed her seriously ill friend had been behind the wheel on both occasions has been jailed.

Leeds Crown Court heard 41-year-old Joanne Lindsay’s friend was in hospital on the second occasion when Lindsay claimed she had been driving.

Leeds Crown Court

The friend was banned from driving because she was unaware she had received prosecution notices.

Lindsay, of Melbourne Mills, Morley, was caught driving at 71 miles per hour on the 60mph limit Stanningley bypass on May 6 2016.

She received a notification of intended prosecution and returned it claiming a friend had been driving.

On May 23 2016 Lindsay was caught driving at 36mph on 30mph Otley Road and received a second notification of intended prosecution. She returned that notice claiming her friend was driving.

Lindsay’s friend had been in hospital for months and was unaware of letters sent to her address in connection with the incident.

The friend was disqualified from driving by magistrates at Leeds in her absence.

Lindsay has now admitted two charges of perverting the course of justice.

Mitigating, Abbi Whelan, said: “She is in full-time employment, she has her own property. All that may be lost if she were to receive a term of imprisonment.”

Jailing Lindsay for six months, Judge Robin Mairs said: “It only came to light in January when she became aware that these things had happened. An investigation was started and her disqualification set aside. This caused needless trauma to her at a time when she didn’t need and didn’t deserve it.

“This cannot be described as a moment of madness because you repeated the offence. You used the details of a friend, someone vulnerable and known to you, who was then prosecuted through the courts for it.”